Count registering mechanism



June 15, 39357 A GAY 2983 835 COUNT REGISTERING MECHANISM Filed March 16, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet l w n a ZZSATTORNEY june 15 E Q 2 8335 COUNT REGISTERING MECHANISM Filed March 16, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 /Za's ATTOEY wxws,

A. GAY

COUNT REGISTERING MECHANISM Filed March 16, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR June 115, 193571.

June 15,1937. AGAY 2,083,835

COUNT REG ISTERING MECHANISM Filed'March 16 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VENT OR Patented June 15, 1937 UNITED STATES PATE'l' OFFIQE Azel Gay, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Multipost 00., Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 16, 1932, Serial No. 599,224

3 Claims.

My present invention relates to counting and registering mechanisms, such as are employed to count machine cycles, and it has for its general object to provide a simple, strong and durable mechanism of this character that can be conveniently reset but will be positively locked between movements of its operating parts. Features of the improvements relate to the provision of means for centering the dials or number wheels for a definite properly alined reading when the register is reset; and to placing the register as a whole in an inaccessible position for resetting otherwise than through the use of a keycontrolled lock operable only by authorized persons, the locking and centering mechanisms so cooperating with one another that the register cannot be locked up with the dials in a false or indefinite position.

To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the register box containing a register and counting mechanism, constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention, the register having been locked at zero;

Fig, 2 is a similar view showing the key-controlled door opened to give access for resetting;

Fig. 3 is an enlargement of Fig. 2, except that the dials are unlocked and a count has been accumulated thereon;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the open box, partly broken away and on the scale of Fig. 3, showing the register in front elevation;

Fig. 5 is a front view of a mounting plate on the rear wall of the box carrying the dial cen- 4O tering device that lies in rear of the mechanism of Fig. l; together with the locking element;

Fig. 6 is a central vertical section from front to rear, taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 4: and showing the locking device in operative 45 position with reference to the dials;

Fig. '7 is a further fragmentary section, cor responding to Fig. 6 but showing the locking device in inoperative position as it normally is while the count is progressing on the accumulators;

Fig. 8 is a detailed front view of a Geneva stop unit that holds each dial or accumulator wheel locked in its position of rest;

Fig. 9 is a transverse section through the dial shaft and through one of the wheels in the plane thereof, showing the means through which rotation is imparted to each individually, the centering device being also shown in its normal inoperative position;

Fig. 10 is a similar View with the centering device in operative position, the box door being shown unlocked in Fig. 9 and locked in Fig. 10;

Fig. 11 is a transverse section through the counter wheel shaft, showing a side face of one of the wheel units in detail, and

Fig. 12 is a detailed section taken on the line li*i2 of Fig. 11.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Features of my invention have a wide range of application and usefulness in the art to which it appertains, but I will describe it as applied to a metered. postage printing machine as the device illustrated in the drawings as one embodiment of the invention was designed for this particular use. This being the case, a brief explanation of the requirements of a register applicable thereto and its functions in connection therewith will first be given.

In such machines, each revolution of a type cylinder prints the frank mark of a prescribed denomination upon a piece of mail matter passing through the machine. The revolutions are registered upon a meter that functions reversely to the usual register in that the counters decrease 30 instead of increasing a tot-a1. The user pays the post office a given amount of money and a postal authority sets the meter so that it registers a corresponding number of revolutions of the type cylinder that will use up that amount of postage 35 according to the denomination of the stamp tax desired. When Zero is reached, the meter is locked against further actuation and should look the printing machine against further unpaid printing. The meter must then again be taken 40 to the postal authorities and a resetting purchased.

It will be observed from the above that mistakes cost money and in fairness to both parties to the transaction, it is essential that the register be accurate in operation, that its settings be made with precision and that the register be proof against tampering, both to protect the owner against dishonest operators and the government against both. 5

With these ends generally in view and referring more particularly to the drawings, l indicates a strong box or casing, to the rear wall of which is secured a bracket 2 carrying the counting mechanism occupying the compartment of the box that may itself form part of the organized machine. The box, in the present instance, is sealed by an angular cover 3 hinged at 4 and provided with an opening 5 having a window 5, through which a reading of the register may at all times be observed. In the front wall of the box is a rotary lock, the key receiving cylinder of which is indicated at l and the barrel at 8. Secured to the inner end of the cylinder within the compartment is a latch shown in its inoperative position by dotted lines in Fig. 4. When the barrel 1 is turned counterclockwise to a locked position in which the key may be withdrawn as usual, the latch 9 swings into engagement by its slot ID with a pin H on the free edge of the cover or door 3.

Extending transversely through the box and having suitable bearings therein is a drive shaft I2, which drive shaft carries at one end a gear 13, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, by means of which the register is hooked up to the mechanism, the cycles of which the register is to count, in the present instance, the rotary type cylinder. Parallel with and above the driveshaft is a fixed counter shaft M on which are mounted to turn relatively the accumulating units of the register, indicated respectively at A, B, C, D and E, being in that order provided with peripheral dials l5 carrying the units, tens, hundreds, thousands and ten thousands digits. As these units are duplicates of each other, a description of one will sufiice for all, and I will first describe their construction.

Referring in particular to Figs. 8, 11- and 12,

" in which they are shown in detail, each unit comprises a flanged wheel l6 carrying on its periphery a celluloid or other dial strip l5. Next adjacent to it on one side is a disk I1, on the opposite face of which in the order named are an interrupted gear l8 and a disk !9. All of these parts are secured together by rivet pins 23, which also fasten within the wheel 18 a similarly flanged disk 2 I. This latter disk is provided with a series of openings 22 forming a ratchet, as clearly shown in Figs. 9 and 12. On the same side, that is, the otherwise open side of the wheel I6, is a gear 23, on the inner face of which are pivoted at 24 twin pawls 25 mutually actuated by hairpin springs 26 connecting them to ride the ratchet disk 2! and normally engage in the ratchet openings 22, as shown in Fig. 10. The gearing from the drive shaft l2 to the unit wheel A is as follows:

From a fixed gear 21 on the drive shaft to a free gear 28 on wheel shaft 14, which gear has pinned thereto a pinion 29 meshing with a free gear 30 on the drive shaft, to which is secured a pinion 3| driving a gear 32 on the wheel shaft, which is pinned to gear 23 of the units counter A. In the case of this particular unit A, the gear 23 does not function as such and is present only because it is convenient in manufacture to construct all of the units A, B, C, et cetera, alike. The obvious purpose of this reducing gearing 21 to 32 is to provide a 10 to 1 reduction that will cause one revolution of the drive shaft 12, the cycles of which are to be counted, to impart the step of a tenth of a revolution to the unit A and advance to the window 5, the successive numerals on the dial l5.

The counter units turn in the direction of the arrows in the several figures, and this being the case, it will be seen that when the register is in operation the pawls 25 are constantly in engagement with their ratchets 22, which they drive positively. The reason for providing the connection through the medium of spring pawls is to allow for rapid, individual resetting of the dials. This is accomplished by turning the dial ahead in the same direction either with the fingers or by means of a tool inserted in a series of periph eral openings 33 therein provided primarily, however, for a purpose that will be later described. In so doing, the pawls yield and the dial wheel l5 may be rapidly rotated in the manner of an overrunning clutch. The unit dial A is first set to the desired reading and the others successively. The setting of a given dial may or may not disturb the adjacent dial wheel of higher denomination according to the digit selected but, in any event, the movement of such adjacent wheel will not be more than one tenth of a revolution and the adjacent wheel on the other side of lower denomination will not be affected at all.

The accumulating of the count, of course, requires the driving of the successive units A, B, C, D, E one to another in the same gear ratio of 10 to 1 that the unit A is driven through the gearing from the drive shaft. For this purpose, a shaft 34 carries a plurality of independent ireerunning spur gears 35, one for each unit. Each such gear is in constant mesh with a counter wheel driving gear 23 and is of a width to also aline it with disks l8 and IQ of the next adjoining wheel. As shown in Figs. 6, 8 and 11 (the showing of the latter being directionally reversed from that of the other figures), alternate teeth are cut away so that the adjoining teeth ride on the periphery of disk K8 in the manner of a Geneva stop and lock against any driving impulse through the spurs 35.

Upon each revolution of the mutilated gear disk I 9, however, the two teeth 36 thereon mesh with the spur and turn it sufficiently to turn the gear 23 of the next adjoining higher unit wheel a tenth of a revolution. The disk I 8, which has the same radius as the gear teeth 36, is provided for this purpose with a notch 31 forming a tooth in terval in alinement with the space between the two teeth 35. After the latter pass out of mesh with the spur, a mutilated tooth is left projecting into their returning path but the adjoining teeth lock against the periphery of disk 18 again and restore the Geneva stop. In the present embodiment of the invention, these cycles are repeated until all of the wheels are brought to zero on the dials, whereupon the register, as aforesaid, is automatically locked. This locking mechanism will now be described.

Each of the disks I? is provided with a notch 38 forming locking shoulders. In the present application of the invention, these are so arranged that when they come into alinement longitudinally of the counter shaft, all of the counter wheel dials will read zero. A fixed shaft 39 at the rear of the bracket 2 carries a rocking yoke 40 having a manipulating knob or handle 41 and carrying a latch bar 42 that extends longitudinally of the line of counter wheels. As shown in Fig. 3, its edge is inclined with respect to the axis of the wheels so that its high point rides on the disk I! in the unit of highest denomination, namely, the tens of thousands unit E, against which it is normally held by a spring 43, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. As a single rotation of this disk in unit E at most, whatever the setting, will bring it to zero and the notch 38 opposite the latch bar 42, this unit will be locked first at zero. The latch bar 42 will then ride upon the disk l! of the next unit D until the reading of that too is reduced to zero and the bar engages between the locking shoulders thereof and so on until the last unit wheel A is so locked at zero, whereupon the whole register is inoperative, as in Fig. 6.

Of course, this condition, through the gearing back to the coupling gear l3, also locks the drive shaft it, but to avoid strain it is preferable to automatically stop the drive shaft when the latch bar 42 goes into action. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that this end can be acoomplished in various ways, as by connecting the latch yoke Ml to throw out a clutch or actuate a secondary look at a more efiective point, but to illustrate this control in general I have indicated an electrical connection, whereby the yoke ll] breaks a circuit, such as the circuit of a motor (not shown) that drives the machine that is geared to the coupling gear it of the drive shaft 62. The wiring of such a circuit is indicated at a l and 45, running to terminal contacts 46 and il. While the counter wheels are operative, this circuit is closed by the latch yoke, as in Fig. 7, but when the register is locked, the circuit is broken across the terminals, as in Fig. 6.

As I have explained above, it is important that the dial wheels be set accurately to the desired amount reading. For instance, if a wheel is carelessly set so that, while the zero digit on the dial appears at the window 5, the pawls 25 are riding just short of or just past the ratchet openings 22, the first revolution of the drive shaft would not be registered. I, therefore, provide means for insuring a setting in which the pawls will all be in proper positive engagement with the ratchet wheels before the register is locked in its compartment or can be so locked. This means embodies, in the present instance, another yoke 48 also mounted to rock on the shaft 39 and held in the inoperative position of Fig. 9 by a spring 49. The cross bar 58 of this yoke carries a plurality of tapered pins i alined in a row, one for each dial wheel. Pivoted to the bar 50 at 52 is an abutment plate 53 having an angular, rearwardly turned end 5 normally held against the under side of the bar by a spring On the latch 9 is a rearwardly projecting finger 56 which, when the cylinder F of the key controlled lock is rotated to engage the latch 9 with the pin II on the box cover 3, engages under the abutment plate 53 and raises yoke ll so that the pins 5! will enter the openings 33 in the dial and counter wheels if these are properly adjusted so that the reading is correct and the pawls are engaged. If the setting is slightly inexact, the taper of the pins will shift the wheels to exact position, the finger 56 will clear the abutment plate 53 and the locking rotation of the cylinder- 7 may be completed and the key withdrawn. If, however, the adjustment of any wheel is so far off that the point of its pin 5i does not reach its opening 33 at all, it will dog upon the intervening periphery of the wheel, halting the necessary displacement of the yoke 43 to allow the finger 55 to pass under the plate 53, and the operator will be advised, through his inability to turn the lock completely and remove the key, that his setting has been inaccurate. Fig. shows a proper setting and a successful operation of locking the box partially completed. In other words, when the lock is rotated counterclockwise from the right hand dotted line position of Fig. 4, the finger 56 will first raise the yoke 48 to the position of Fig. 10 and then pass to the left free of abutment plate 53, as shown in the other dotted line position of Fig. 4, allowing the pins 5| to be withdrawn following the consequent drop of the yoke 48 to normal position. When the box is unlocked by a clockwise movement of the lock barrel, the finger 56 on its return temporarily displaces the abutment plate 53 against the tension of spring 55 and passes beyond it to the position of Fig. 9 and the abutment plate then snaps back to normal position.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a counting register the combination with a strong box casing having a closure and a key controlled lock therefor, and a plurality of counting wheels within the casing, said wheels being adapted to be manually set to a predetermined total only by access to the interior of the casing when the closure is open, of a detector mounted for movement between the lock and wheels, means for forcing the detector against the wheels by movement of the lock to locking position and for releasing said detector when the lock reaches locking position, and means upon the wheels for blocking through the detector the locking movement of the lock when any wheel is out of predetermined positions.

2. In a counting register, the combination with a strong box casing having a closure and a key controlled lock therefor embodying a rotary element movable with the locking and unlocking operations thereof, and a plurality of counting wheels within the casing, said wheels adapted to be manually set to a predetermined total only by access to the interior of the casing when the closure is open, of a detector between the lock and wheels mounted for pivotal movement about an axis transverse to the axis of said rotary ele ment and adapted to be forced against the wheels through movement of the lock to locking position and to be released when the lock reaches locking position, and means upon the wheels for blocking through the detector the locking movement of the lock when any wheel is out of predetermined positions.

3. In a counting register, the combination with a strong box casing having a closure and a key controlled lock therefor embodying a rotary element movable with the locking and unlocking operations thereof, and a plurality of counting wheels within the casing provided with a series of openings in their peripheries, said wheels adapted to be manually set to a predetermined total only by access to the interior of the casing when the closure is open, of a detector between the lock and wheels mounted for pivotal movement about an axis transverse to the axis of said rotary element and embodying centering pins movable into the openings of the wheels when the latter are in predetermined positions said detector being forced toward the wheels through move ment of the lock to locking position and being released therefrom when the lock reaches locking position by reason of the pins on the detector entering the openings in the wheels, the wheels otherwise being adapted to block by their peripheries through the detector pins the locking movement of the lock when any wheel is out of pre" determined positions.

AZEL GAY. 

